World Heritage siteany of various areas or objects inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. The sites are designated as having “outstanding universal value” under the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. This convention, which was adopted by UNESCO in 1972, provides a framework for international cooperation in preserving and protecting cultural treasures and natural areas throughout the world (see table).

There are three types of sites: cultural, natural, and mixed. Cultural heritage sites include hundreds of historic buildings and town sites, important archaeological sites, and works of monumental sculpture or painting. Natural heritage sites are restricted to those natural areas that (1) furnish outstanding examples of the Earth’s record of life or its geologic processes, (2) provide excellent examples of ongoing ecological and biological evolutionary processes, (3) contain natural phenomena that are rare, unique, superlative, or of outstanding beauty, or (4) furnish habitats for rare or endangered animals or plants or are sites of exceptional biodiversity. Mixed heritage sites contain elements of both natural and cultural significance. The ratio of cultural to natural sites on the World Heritage List is roughly 3 to 1, and several new sites are added to the list each December.

World Heritage designations often boost local economies by encouraging tourism; in addition, UNESCO funds numerous efforts to preserve and restore sites in developing nations. Sites subject to unusual levels of pollution, natural hazards, or other problems may be placed on the associated List of World Heritage in Danger until improvements are made.